Straight to the Tribe
As Lyerin ventured deeper into the forest, he began to feel the subtle transformation taking hold. His body moved with a fluidity that seemed almost foreign, as if driven by an instinct buried deep within him.
The foliage grew denser, and the air thicker with the scent of pine and damp earth.
"I am near," Lyerin mumbled, as if he could sense where he was.
Soon, his senses sharpened, attuned to the rhythms of the forest and the creatures within it.
With each step, he felt a tug at his consciousness, a primal connection that guided him deeper into the heart of the wild. His form shifted, muscles bulging and bones reshaping as he took on the guise of an Ibex humanoid, his limbs felt incredibly powerful and sure.
It was an unsettling experience, this automatic transformation, but Lyerin embraced it. He had to. The survival of his mother—and ultimately his own future—depended on it.
The Ibex demon tribe was an ancient, secretive people, their history shrouded in mystery even to Lyerin. He knew only fragments of their past, snippets of lore gleaned from old texts and whispered tales.
These tribes had once been strong, proud warriors, but the assaults from the Snow Leopard Tribe and the Hundred Bison Tribe had left them scattered and weakened.
In their desperation, they had turned to converting wild creatures to bolster their dwindling numbers.
Lyerin observed the forest around him with keen eyes.
Everywhere he looked, there were signs of life, of wild creatures moving with a grace and power that was almost magical. He saw Bighorn Sheep humanoids, their sturdy forms blending seamlessly with the rocky terrain.
Mountain Goat humanoids leaped nimbly across craggy outcrops, their hooves barely making a sound. Chamois humanoids moved with swift, precise movements, their bodies taut and ready.
Tahr humanoids, with their rugged, muscular builds, navigated the rough landscape with ease. Ibex humanoids, like the form he now wore, were agile and strong, their horns curving gracefully back from their foreheads. And finally, the Mouflon humanoids, with their thick, curled horns, moved with a quiet, understated power.
None of these species in the Devil Horned Tribe could interbreed, their reproduction rates dismally low.
They had no choice but to assimilate wild creatures into their ranks, creating a diverse but united front.
Suddenly, the ground beneath Lyerin's feet began to tremble.
BOOM.
The sound of a massive drum echoed through the forest, reverberating through his bones. His feet vibrated with each pulse, the sheer force of the sound staggering.
Before he could gather his thoughts, a deafening call split the air.
"Raz'Khor!!!"
The shout was so powerful that Lyerin could see the shockwave ripple through the forest, bending trees and rustling leaves as it passed.
The air itself seemed to shiver with the intensity of the call. It was a rallying cry, unmistakable in its urgency and command.
Around him, the Bighorn Sheep humanoids reacted instantly. Each one moved differently, yet with a singular purpose.
One rammed its horns into the ground, digging in and then launching itself forward with a guttural roar.
"Uurraaaaaggghh!!!"
Another reared up on its hind legs, letting out a piercing bellow before sprinting away with astonishing speed. Yet another pounded its chest, the thud resonating through the forest as it joined the charge.
ROAR.
The sound of their combined voices was a cacophony, a primal chorus that echoed through the trees.
They surged forward, their powerful legs propelling them with incredible speed in a single direction.
Lyerin watched them, fascinated and slightly unnerved. He didn't know their exact destination, but he understood the significance of the call.
The Devil Horned Tribe was organized into clans, each with its own distinct identity and purpose.
The Bighorn Sheep humanoids belonged to the Raz'Khor Clan.
The Mountain Goat humanoids were part of the Gro'Tor Clan.
The Chamois humanoids hailed from the Kel'Chaz Clan.
The Tahr humanoids identified with the Mok'Tahr Clan.
The Ibex humanoids were members of the Zur'Ibex Clan. And the Mouflon humanoids were of the Vin'Mouf Clan.
Each clan was a crucial piece of the tribe's collective strength and survival.
As Lyerin pondered this, another call rang out, this time closer, more intimate. "Zur'Ibex!!!"
The call was like a command, a summons that Lyerin could feel that his body could not resist.
Suddenly, his limbs began to move of their own accord, drawn toward the source with an inexorable pull. Lyerin's feet pounded against the forest floor as he ran, the sounds of his movement blending with the natural symphony of the forest.
Soon, he decided to just let it be, let the body obey the call!
As Lyerin ran, the forest around him began to change.
The dense foliage gradually gave way to sparser undergrowth, and the towering trees became fewer and farther between. He noticed the ground beneath his feet was no longer soft and mossy but starting to harden, turning into rough, uneven terrain.
The air grew cooler, the scent of pine and earth mingling with the sharper tang of stone.
The transformation was gradual, but Lyerin was acutely aware of every shift. His heightened senses picked up the subtle cues—the thinning canopy that allowed more light to filter through, the crunch of gravel underfoot, and the distant echo of water trickling over rocks.
The other humanoid creatures he had seen earlier began to peel away, disappearing into the shadows as they followed paths only they knew.
He saw a Chamois humanoid leap effortlessly from a rock ledge and vanish into the trees, its sleek form blending seamlessly with the environment.
The Kel'Chaz Clan, Lyerin noted.
Further ahead, a Tahr humanoid bounded across a ravine with a guttural snort, heading towards a rugged cliffside.
The Mok'Tahr Clan was diverging from his path.
One by one, the other clans went their separate ways, each called to their own destiny.
The scenery continued to change, becoming increasingly rocky. Large boulders jutted out of the ground, and the terrain became more challenging to navigate.
Lyerin's powerful legs, not transformed by the shapeshifting scroll but by the curse, propelled him forward with ease. His hooves struck the ground with a rhythmic thud, thud, thud, the sound echoing in the growing emptiness around him.
Then, another call pierced the air.
"Zur'Ibex!!!"
The words reverberated through his body, making his blood surge with an almost painful intensity. His heart pounded faster, each beat sending a rush of heat through his veins.
Unable to contain the primal energy coursing through him, Lyerin threw back his head and let out a long, terrifying roar.
GURRRAAAAAAAAAAA!!!
The sound echoed off the rocks, a feral cry that resonated with the wildness within him.
His eyes blazed a fiery red, each call of "Zur'Ibex!!!" stoking the flames in his blood.
The transformation was not just physical but deeply primal, awakening something ancient and powerful within him. He ran faster, his muscles burning with the effort, each stride bringing him closer to his destination.
The rocky terrain soon gave way to cliffs, their sheer faces rising high into the sky.
The cliffs were dotted with huts, primitive structures made of stone and wood.
These old camps clung to the rock walls like barnacles, their weathered exteriors blending into the rugged landscape.
As if the camps were remnants of a time when the Zur'Ibex Clan had thrived here, their presence now a ghostly reminder of past strength.
Lyerin took in the sight with uncomfortable feeling.
The camps were scattered across the cliffs, some connected by narrow, precarious paths, others isolated and seemingly unreachable.
The huts themselves were crude but sturdy, built to withstand the harsh elements. Smoke rose from a few of them, suggesting that some of the clan members still held on to their ancient ways, living in these high, secluded homes.
But Lyerin's focus was not on the camps or the huts. His eyes, burning with intensity, were fixed forward. He could see the shockwaves of each call, "Zur'Ibex!!!" rippling through the air, distorting the space around them. His vision tunneled, the periphery blurring as his attention zeroed in on the source of the call.
As he ascended a steep incline, he finally saw them—Ibex humanoids.
They looked like humans but with distinct Ibex features.
Their bodies were covered in short, coarse fur, and their eyes were a piercing yellow. Curved horns jutted from their foreheads, adding to their imposing presence.
They moved with a graceful strength, their powerful legs and agile bodies well-suited to the rocky terrain.
Lyerin's eyes, however, were not drawn to these figures. His gaze was fixed on a point below them.
At the base of the cliffs, nestled among the rocks, was a cage made of stone.
The structure was crude but effective, its bars thick and looking very sturdy.
From within the cage emanated a scent that overwhelmed Lyerin's senses.
It was an incredible feminine smell, rich and intoxicating, that pulled at him with an almost magnetic force.
"What is that smell?" He wondered.
His body, now fully under the influence of his primal instincts, was drawn to it, unable to resist what was inside.